The Chew - General Discussion

[Jaded]

39 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I was watching with the sound on and Wendy talked quite a bit. Didn't see any fear in her eyes. Wendy looked gaunt - has she lost a lot of weight?

Wendy has lost a lot, says she's at 140 something and anyone who says she's too thin is basically a hater. If she didn't have those big fake boobs the weight loss would be even more apparent. The boobs kind of push her clothing out. She was on HSN recently and while sitting on one of those stool like chairs her legs looked like dangling toothpicks. When she was standing up I was surprised (not in a good way) at the thigh gap she's sporting too. It's scary.

[BeachyWave]

The infantile bouncing around that Carla and Clinton have gotten into is insufferable. We don't need to see middleaged people acting like they're in a bouncy castle. Carla got pretty far in a cooking competition, but that's about it with her. Her only other asset  is that she looks great in clothes as she is so tall. I find her hairdos very strange (realize this isn't up to her) and wish she'd find a style and stick to it -- some of them look kindergarten-ish. Her voice is sing-songy and annoying. And I've already counted three "riiiiiiiight?"s today. Carla, if you're so unsure about what you're saying that you have to ask for approval, how about say something you do believe?

The strength of this show has been in their very-inviting audience involvement. Unlike The View (which seems to be an egomaniacal MeMeMeFest), The Chew does seem to value the viewers. I wish they didn't include the ridiculous dance segments...we are not so stupid we need that in order to watch.

[Qoass]

Speak for yourself, BeachyWave. After a crap day at the office, infantile bouncing around and ridiculous dance segments make me happy.

[chessiegal]

I have 2 friends who went to a charity function where Carla was doing a demonstration. They absolutely fell in love with her -said she is a lovely person.

[BeachyWave]

59 minutes ago, Qoass said:

After a crap day at the office, infantile bouncing around and ridiculous dance segments make me happy.

Hahahahaha I'll giva ya that!

[MsJamieDornan]

On ‎11‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 2:10 PM, BeachyWave said:

I find her hairdos very strange (realize this isn't up to her) and wish she'd find a style and stick to it -- some of them look kindergarten-ish. Her voice is sing-songy and annoying

Agreed.  

I guess I just like Michael and Mario better than Clinton and Carla.

[BeachyWave]

I generally like Clinton and think he does a great job of emceeing, which is a gift. There's a lot to Carla, but I wish she'd tone it down and that the hair/makeup/costume people would class up her look a bit and skip the Minnie Mouse in professor glasses thing. She has beautiful skin/face and a great figure, it's  a shame to make her cartoonish. Michael and Mario are great on TV and endlessly entertaining (I hope they bring Michael's Ozzie dog on set one day). It seems the hyperkinetics of Carla and Clinton are trying to fill the hole left by having only 4 or 3 hosts, depending on who's out. It seems an additional host - this time one with a food background -- would give them a comfort zone.

[Lady J]

On 11/21/2017 at 3:41 AM, MsJamieDornan said:

I was watching briefly with the sound off and Wendy Williams was the guest. I'm not sure Wendy said more than 5 words during the cooking segment. Carla was babbling and gesturing wildly. Wendy seemed almost afraid of her and once even moved closer to Michael.  Carla had an "Erica Badu" type  hat on and she kept swinging her head around and almost poked Clinton's eye out.

I kept noticing the look in Wendy's eyes,, fear, plain old fear.

I think they were trying to make pecan pie with tofu....eeww.

That was 5 words too many, can't stand .Wendy !

[Ciarrai]

On 11/21/2017 at 0:10 PM, BeachyWave said:

The infantile bouncing around that Carla and Clinton have gotten into is insufferable. We don't need to see middleaged people acting like they're in a bouncy castle. Carla got pretty far in a cooking competition, but that's about it with her. Her only other asset  is that she looks great in clothes as she is so tall. I find her hairdos very strange (realize this isn't up to her) and wish she'd find a style and stick to it -- some of them look kindergarten-ish. Her voice is sing-songy and annoying. And I've already counted three "riiiiiiiight?"s today. Carla, if you're so unsure about what you're saying that you have to ask for approval, how about say something you do believe?

The strength of this show has been in their very-inviting audience involvement. Unlike The View (which seems to be an egomaniacal MeMeMeFest), The Chew does seem to value the viewers. I wish they didn't include the ridiculous dance segments...we are not so stupid we need that in order to watch.

Yes with her hair! C'mon she's 53 years old; she doesn't need her hair shaped into a bow. It takes away from her actual cooking chops. She seems like an absolutely lovely person and some of her food looks delicious, but it's overshadowed.

[BeachyWave]

5 hours ago, Ciarrai said:

She seems like an absolutely lovely person

This apropos Carla, and I totally agree. Hey, I'm 57 and live at Venice Beach CA and enjoy running around a casual 'hood with silly pigtails and I bet she would too, but this is her profession. I would like to see her present a more refined persona (heads up, costume/hair team). She earned and deserves it.

[biakbiak]

I delight in Carla's hair. It' a nice change on the show and if you check out her IG she also changes up her hair when not on the show. For me it has never taken away from her cooking.

[Spunkygal]

I adore Carla and think she's darling. I want to be her friend. She seems so fun and I like her quirky style.

David Muir was on today and wow, was he orange! Really orange!

[General Days]

I love Carla's hair, too. In fact, I appreciate that so much thought seems to go into both it and her wardrobe. She and Clinton are the only ones left giving viewers (well, this one anyhow) anything to look at. I love Michael and Mario too, but there's nothing distinct to his look, and Mario is as married to his fleece/shorts/crocks costume as he is to Susi (and parmigiano reggiano). 

[chessiegal]

Mario has stopped wearing crocs. Much as I love Michael, I'm not a fan of his new facial hair look.

[Qoass]

Michael grows a mustache for "Movember". It will probably be gone in a week.

[bkathi]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

Mario has stopped wearing crocs.

His kicks are now supplied by Kanye.  I think Mario donated his back log of orange crocs to hurricane relief.

[chessiegal]

50 minutes ago, Qoass said:

Michael grows a mustache for "Movember". It will probably be gone in a week.

Well that changes everything. Thanks for the info.

[biakbiak]

There is a The Chew special on Sunday, I don' remember them doing this before. 

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, biakbiak said:

There is a The Chew special on Sunday, I don' remember them doing this before. 

Thanks for mentioning this.  It would not have been picked up on my DVR.  I wonder if they'll mention it tomorrow.

[Qoass]

My beloved TiVo picked up a thirty minute special last weekend. It was basically an abbreviated version of a typical episode. The highlight was an a cappella group that sang in and out of each segment and occasionally offered commentary in four part harmony.  Fun. I would love if the one you're seeing is a new one but I think it's probably the one I already saw.

[abc123]

I usually enjoy the lighthearted needling that the hosts give to one another. But I cannot believe when Michael made that rude comment to Clinton about not worrying when Clinton was making those “dry-assed meatballs.”  Poor Clinton looked mortified, and I think it’s rude to say that on live tv when they’re trying to “sell” their recipes to the audience. 

Unless I am missing it I do not see that segment on their Facebook page. Probably because a lot of people would have made comments that Michael was rude. They already comment enough about Mario being rude to Carla.

Edited December 5, 2017 by abc123
Fixed autocorrect to spell Mario’s name correctly.

[Ciarrai]

22 hours ago, abc123 said:

I usually enjoy the lighthearted needling that the hosts give to one another. But I cannot believe when Michael made that rude comment to Clinton about not worrying when Clinton was making those “dry-assed meatballs.”  Poor Clinton looked mortified, and I think it’s rude to say that on live tv when they’re trying to “sell” their recipes to the audience. 

Unless I am missing it I do not see that segment on their Facebook page. Probably because a lot of people would have made comments that Michael was rude. They already comment enough about Maria being rude to Carla.

I felt so bad for him. That was completely out of line, and I usually really like Michael.

[TVFan17]

I laughed out loud when Michael made the comment about the meatballs!!  (Carla laughed too.)   It was funny.  Michael is funny.   Michael and Clinton are funny together.   And if Clinton was truly bothered, he will let Michael know, or he will get him back with his own comments on the show.   But they tease each other.  That's the nature of their relationship.    I would never have laughed if I thought that Michael had actually hurt Clinton or offended him, or dished out something that he couldn't take.

I'm not saying that Michael's words wouldn't have the potential to ever hurt Clinton or embarrass him in life -- especially if he just blurts things out -- but, in that specific meatball situation, I think they had probably discussed something during a commercial break, or a comment had been made about the meatballs being dry before they came in to the next segment.  In other words, I don't think Clinton was shocked that Michael thought the meatballs were dry.  He probably already knew that.  He was probably surprised or embarrassed that Michael said it out loud on the show, in front of the viewers, because it shows that someone, somewhere, didn't take precautions to be sure the meatballs were good before anyone tasted them.

I didn't think that anyone looked all that thrilled when they tasted those meatballs, to be honest, no matter what was said on the show.    The actual finished meatballs (which may have been sitting there a few minutes too long) that Michael and everyone sampled  were probably not made by Clinton himself.  They were probably made by the people in the kitchen in the back, following the recipe that Clinton was using to do the segment on the show.   They could have messed something up and made them too dry, and maybe Clinton didn't want to say anything on the air about it, but Michael did and it surprised Clinton.

Also, there are probably plenty of times when those dishes that everyone samples are not good.  There are probably lots of times when one of them doesn't like something that someone else has made.  Sometimes you can tell, just by the facial expressions, and by who suddenly gets quiet and has nothing to say.  But there are probably other times when they pretend they like something they don't like, and they essentially lie and say they like it while on camera.   Off-camera, what they say to each other might be a whole different story.

Now if Michael had made that comment about the meatballs as a guest in Clinton's home, then yes... it would have been totally out of line.  On the show, though, when Clinton  was probably not even responsible for the finished product they tasted, I think it was all in good fun, and I think that they had already had some  off-camera exchange about the meatballs being dry. 

After 6 years and 7 seasons into working together and socializing together (Clinton, Michael and their spouses were vacationing in France last year around Christmas) -- and Clinton and Michael are two, along with Carla, who are more consistently on the show, with not quite as many days off as Mario, so they have spent more time together -- I think they each know which buttons they can push, and what they can say and get away with.

[chessiegal]

Meatballgate was addressed on the show today.

[TVFan17]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

Meatballgate was addressed on the show today.

 

The Meatballgate discussion video is up on Facebook!  They're so funny.
 

[abc123]

I'm glad they addressed it.  I totally get that they know each other and can make fun of each other.  That comment just seemed like it crossed the line compared to what they usually say to each other.  Certainly not everyone has to like every dish, and you can tell when some people get a little bit more quiet.  Like I said...it just seemed like it was more mean spirited than usual.  Or they could have said at the time "we all know they were dry b/c there was a problem in the prep kitchen."  So they can throw the prep kitchen under the bus instead.  lol

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, abc123 said:

Or they could have said at the time "we all know they were dry b/c there was a problem in the prep kitchen."  So they can throw the prep kitchen under the bus instead.  lol

Why should or would they throw the kitchen under the bus.

[abc123]

>>Why should or would they throw the >>kitchen under the bus.

 

 I don’t think that they should have done that either, really (hence my awkward use of an LOL). But they did when they addressed it the next day by blaming it on an issue in the prep kitchen delaying the show and putting out really dry meatballs.

Edited December 11, 2017 by abc123

[imjagain]

On 12/5/2017 at 1:10 PM, chessiegal said:

Meatballgate was addressed on the show today.

Omg I just cracked myself up. I haven't watched the show in a few days. And didnt look of the date on your post. So I thought meatballgate was about Mario lol. Sorry I laughed so hard.

Edited December 11, 2017 by imjagain

[General Days]

Just now, imjagain said:

Omg I just cracked myself up. I have watched the show in a few days. So I thought meatballgate was about Mario lol. Sorry I laughed so hard.

Me, too! It's also the only time I've laughed about this situation. 

 

By the way, I'm a few minutes behind, but it doesn't seem they're going to address the Mario situation on today's show. I know they probably pre-recorded, but there have been instances in the past where they'll add a message from Carla or Clinton to a pre-taped episode.

I guess I'm not surprised. They didn't even address Daphne leaving at first, and that was far less uncomfortable. Plus, on top of the Michael/Mario friendship, I do generally think the hosts are friendly. I don't know what I was expecting or what I would agree to even say, if I were a host on this show and MB was my friend. Ugh. I just keep not wanting it to be true.

[biakbiak]

2 minutes ago, General Days said:

do generally think the hosts are friendly.

Carla spends time with him and his family at the house in Michigan, so I agree.

[TVFan17]

Yes, Carla has been to Mario's house in Michigan a few times (including this year), hasn't she?   She knows his wife (and kids too, I assume).  Mario knows her husband.    I think it took a few years of working together before they really started hanging out away from The Chew, just as it seems like it took several years before Clinton and Michael started vacationing together, going out to dinner with their spouses, etc.  The friendships appear to have taken time to develop and grow, I suppose, although Clinton and Carla are two friends who seem like they have known each other all along, even though they haven't.

I don't think we ever hear about Clinton and Mario hanging out, do we?   Have they ever done any 'friend things' away from the show (that they have talked about)?  Maybe they just don't click as friends off camera.

The Michael-Mario friendship goes back a long, long way, well before this show began, and I assume their friendship will continue.  But it will be interesting to see if Michael decides to stay on the show when his contract is up.    I hope we don't lose him too, but I am thinking he might want to jump off  of a potentially sinking ship.

[General Days]

Today's episode opens with a separately taped message on Batali from Clinton, Carla, and Michael.

Quote

 

CLINTON:  Yesterday, allegations of past improper behavior surfaced about our own Mario Batali, and ABC asked him to step away from the show, while those allegations are reviewed.

MICHAEL: We want you to know we take these matters very seriously and are committed to a safe work environment.

CARLA: Our commitment to our viewers remains the same: to deliver the entertaining show that you've come to expect.

 

I'm glad they said something, but even watching that made me uncomfortable. Not sure why. 

Edited December 12, 2017 by General Days

[Irlandesa]

Haven't seen it yet but Is it because it's such corporate speak and doesn't sound authentic to who they are?

I think they'd be less polished and more emotional while saying the same thing.

[General Days]

I guess. I want to categorize it as a "hostage video," but that's not quite it (for me), either. 

[General Days]

23 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

Haven't seen it yet but Is it because it's such corporate speak and doesn't sound authentic to who they are?

I think they'd be less polished and more emotional while saying the same thing.

Here, they put a video up on the Facebook page:

 

[ari333]

I feel sad. I really loved MArio. I hope this stuff is not true, but it has to be investigated.

[biakbiak]

1 minute ago, ari333 said:

I feel sad. I really loved MArio. I hope this stuff is not true, but it has to be investigated.

He admitted to the behaviors in his statement.

[ari333]

27 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

He admitted to the behaviors in his statement.

Yikes I didn't know that. thanks. At least he admitted it... unlike some other people

[FormerMod-a1]

I'm sure that taped message was written by legal and is meant to be coming from all of "The Chew" (as a business/organization) and not just those three.  They are the face of the show so were the ones to record it.

[biakbiak]

Weirdly on my Tivo todays episode was not marked as new so didn't record!

[Irlandesa]

And my DVR said Bobby Flay was scheduled to appear...but he didn't. 

I did think they looked sad, Michael especially, during the announcement. 

[TVFan17]

Well, they did the best they could with today's episode.   They were trying to be lighthearted and fun, but the tone was different.   You could tell their hearts were not in it.   Right from the start of the show, I could see that they were all acting a bit "off," but then I convinced myself that I was just reading too much into their demeanor in thinking that they were "off" -- when maybe they were not all that off at all.

But then.... Clinton finally said something about being "out of sorts today", to which Michael quickly replied that he understands.    I think the elephant in the room was addressed in a roundabout way, beyond that official statement they made before the show started, when Clinton broke the ice and said he was out of sorts.    

It must be very hard -- I'm sure they wanted to get through today's show as quickly as they could.   If Clinton is taking it that hard, I can't imagine how Michael feels, since he and Mario have known each other for so long.   He wants to be there for his friend, I'm sure, but, at the same time, doesn't want to seem as though he is OK with what Mario is accused of doing.  

All 3 hosts are all probably getting bombarded with questions from press/media, and with comments from angry people on social media.  They might even have to be part of the investigation taking place behind the scenes and answer questions, if it turns out that any of Mario's alleged actions took place with anyone from The Chew's staff.   They probably have no idea what the fate of the show will be when the season ends, or even at the start of 2018.   It's just an uncomfortable situation for all involved.

[BeachyWave]

Batali doesn't have much respect for others; in 2012 was successfully sued for taking his workers' credit-card tips. I can't see ABC bringing him back, so now that they're down to three hosts without the strongest one, I'm guessing they'll completely revamp the show or cancel it. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2549595/Fork-Celebrity-chef-Mario-Bataliu.html

[TVFan17]

26 minutes ago, BeachyWave said:

Batali doesn't have much respect for others; in 2012 was successfully sued for taking his workers' credit-card tips. I can't see ABC bringing him back, so now that they're down to three hosts without the strongest one, I'm guessing they'll completely revamp the show or cancel it. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2549595/Fork-Celebrity-chef-Mario-Bataliu.html

 

I think the 3 strongest people on the show, with the best personalities, are still there.  Mario was not the strongest host, in my opinion.  (And Daphne was certainly not the strongest host.)   He didn't even seem like he wanted to be there half the time.   I think that he thought a lot of the segments were too silly for him.   Now, as far as having the most expertise on the panel, as well as the most 'chef credibility' and respect in the culinary world, Mario might be stronger than Michael... but not by much at this point.  That said, I actually enjoyed Mario on the show as part of the group.   I liked them all together.

The show could survive if Michael, Carla and Clinton stayed together as a strong unit -- the nucleus of the show, I guess we could say -- occasionally bringing other people in to guest host with those 3, or to sit in for one of the 3 who takes time off.   And we know that ABC will keep a show on the air with a revolving door of hosts (The View is still there!).   But whether or not each one of those hosts will want to stay with the show remains to be seen, and how much things change if the show is revamped might impact that issue.    If they lose one more of the remaining three hosts, even with new hosts joining in, I think the show will crumble unless they can find someone else who is a perfect fit and a hit with the viewers.  And that is hard to do.

[BeachyWave]

Yes, I really like all three remaining hosts and agree that they are terrific together. I keep thinking Cat Cora might be a fun addition. Clinton has a real gift for emcee-ing (and craft-ing). I also love how they embrace the live audience and viewers as equal participants (fun!), unlike The View, where some of the hosts seem to think it's Ego Exhibition Hour.

[bkathi]

I always got a creep vibe from Mario - so I, for one, am not sorry to see him go.  I think they need another host - just so we don't get overly tired of Clinton, Carla and Michael. 

And I wonder if they pulled a pre-taped episode with Mario (with guest Bobby Flay)?  The episode didn't reflect the one described.

[BeachyWave]

Under the circumstances, a wise decision. I think the remaining hosts are squeaky clean in that dept, however! But three is not enough to carry the show -- maybe they'll pull someone off one of the cooking competitions. That might be hard because a lot of contestants' appeal lies in their quirkiness, and The Chew needs someone more...normal.

[TVFan17]

1 hour ago, bkathi said:

I always got a creep vibe from Mario - so I, for one, am not sorry to see him go.  I think they need another host - just so we don't get overly tired of Clinton, Carla and Michael. 

And I wonder if they pulled a pre-taped episode with Mario (with guest Bobby Flay)?  The episode didn't reflect the one described.

Oh, that's a good point.  I knew that Bobby was supposed to be on and then was not there, but I hadn't even considered that Bobby might have been on a pre-taped episode with Mario.   That makes perfect sense.    I wonder how many pre-taped, previously unaired, episodes they have to now scrap because Mario is in them.   They could have pre-taped at least a couple of holiday-themed episodes with him in them.   Yesterday, they were obviously live, but that might have not been the plan if there was a pre-taped episode queued up and ready to go before the Mario news came out.

Also, I wonder if The Chew is like Fashion Police was, as far as having a few "evergreen" episodes banked up to air in emergencies.    When Fashion Police just recently ended for good, they showed a bit of an episode that had never aired.   It turns out that they filmed some shows to have as emergency back-ups in case a planned live show had to be cancelled at the last minute.   The evergreen episodes were the ones that could air at any time of year because they were not dealing with anything currently in the news, or anything that had happened recently.  They were just kind of general fashion-related topics that could work all year long.  

I can see The Chew doing something like that.  While they do have to do some live, current, topical shows for assorted reasons, they could also have a few evergreen episodes set aside for emergencies -- focusing on a really general food topic that is not specific to any season or holiday.

But... if they have any evergreen episodes set aside, Mario might be in them, so... time to shoot some new ones!

Edited December 13, 2017 by TVFan17

[Irlandesa]

6 hours ago, BeachyWave said:

Batali doesn't have much respect for others; in 2012 was successfully sued for taking his workers' credit-card tips. I can't see ABC bringing him back, so now that they're down to three hosts without the strongest one, I'm guessing they'll completely revamp the show or cancel it. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2549595/Fork-Celebrity-chef-Mario-Bataliu.html

I'm going to take this over to Mario's thread.

5 hours ago, TVFan17 said:

I think the 3 strongest people on the show, with the best personalities, are still there. 

I'd agree. 

3 hours ago, BeachyWave said:

But three is not enough to carry the show

But the three have been carrying the show for about half the year.  There were weeks when both Mario and Daphne were out.  Then Daphne left and Mario only appeared every other week. Yes, they're probably in trouble if one of the three isn't there and they're down to two but I doubt ABC is in a panic thinking they're need to replace Mario ASAP.